酒

酒 U+9152, 酒 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-9152 ← 酑 [U+9151] CJK Unified Ideographs 酓 → [U+9153]

Stroke order

Stroke order

酒 (Kangxi radical 164, 酉+3, 10 strokes, cangjie input 水一金田 (EMCW), four-corner 3116₀, composition ⿰氵酉)

• 鿐(䲤), 𭳒, 𤄍, 𦵩, 𬜂, 𫇓, 𭊼

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1281, character 3
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 39776
• Dae Jaweon: page 1779, character 10
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3574, character 2
• Unihan data for U+9152

trad.		酒
simp. #		酒
2nd round simp.		氿

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *ʔsluʔ): semantic 水 + phonetic 酉 (OC *luʔ). 酉 (OC *luʔ) is the original pictogram for this word; 水 was added later to distinguish.

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *jəw (“liquor”) (STEDT). Cognate with 酉 (OC *luʔ, “wine; wine vessel”).

酒

1. alcoholic beverages in general; alcoholic drink

   你幹嗎不喝點酒？ [MSC, trad.]
   你干吗不喝点酒？ [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐ gànmá bù hē diǎn jiǔ? [Pinyin]

   How come you don't wanna have a sip of alcohol?

2. (Cantonese) banquet (Classifier: 圍／围 c)
3. a surname

Others:

• → Malay: ciu
  • → Indonesian: ciu

• “酒”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[4], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• “酒”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2026.

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: しゅ (shu, Jōyō)^{←しゆ (syu, historical)}
• Kan-on: しゅう (shū)^{←しう (siu, historical)}
• Kun: さけ (sake, 酒, Jōyō)、さか (saka, 酒, Jōyō ^†)、ささ (sasa, 酒)
• Nanori: さ (sa)、し (shi)、み (mi)

Kanji in this term
酒
さけ Grade: 3
kun'yomi

⟨sake₂⟩ → /sakəɨ/ → /sake/

From Old Japanese 酒 (sake₂),^[1][2] from Proto-Japonic *sakai. Cognate with Proto-Ryukyuan *sake. Attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE, with the ideographic spelling 酒.^[2] Additionally, appears in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE and the Man'yōshū of c. 759 CE.^[1][2] This is the standalone form of saka- below.

Various theories exist regarding the ultimate derivation:

• Might be cognate with 栄(さか)え (sakae), the 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 栄(さか)える (sakaeru, “to flourish”).^[3][4]
• Might be derived from 避(さ)ける (sakeru, “to ward off, to shun”), from the idea that drinking alcohol would ward off cold diseases.^[4]
• Might be derived from or a corruption of 酒(くし) (kushi, “rice wine, rice vodka, sake”); however, the phonological shifts required are completely unexplainable.^[4]
• The final -ke may be an apophonic form of Old Japanese 酒 (ki₁).^[4]

• (Tokyo) さけ [sàké] (Heiban – [0])^[5][6]
• IPA^(key): [sa̠ke̞]

• Audio:

  (file)

酒(さけ) • (sake) 

1. any alcoholic beverage
2. (especially) synonym of 日本酒 (nihonshu): sake (Japanese rice wine)
3. drinking, especially of alcoholic beverages

• 酒(さけ)を煮(に)る (sake o niru)
• 酒(さけ)人(ひと)を吞(の)む (sake hito o nomu)

• → Ainu: サケ
• → English: saké, sake, saki
• → French: saké m
  • → Romanian: sake n
  • → Turkish: sake

Kanji in this term
酒
さか Grade: 3
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese 酒 (saka).^[1] Likely the original form of sake above. Rarely used in isolation. Mostly used as the first element in compounds.

• IPA^(key): [sa̠ka̠]

酒(さか) • (saka) 

1. combining form of 酒 (sake, “any alcoholic beverage; rice wine, rice vodka, sake”)

Kanji in this term
酒
ささ Grade: 3
kun'yomi

Originally a 女(にょう)房(ぼう)詞(ことば) (nyōbō kotoba, literally “women's word”) term, possibly derived from reduplication of the first syllable sa from sake. Alternately, may be derived by metaphor from the Chinese-derived euphemism for sake, 竹(ちく)葉(よう) (chikuyō, literally “bamboo leaves”), as 笹(ささ) (sasa) refers to a type of short, leafy bamboo.^[7][5]

• (Tokyo) ささ [sàsá] (Heiban – [0])^[5]
• IPA^(key): [sa̠sa̠]

酒(ささ) • (sasa) 

1. (archaic) any alcoholic beverage, especially sake (Japanese rice wine)

• お酒(ささ), 御(お)酒(ささ) (o-sasa)
• 酒(ささ)飲(の)み (sasanomi)
• 白(しろ)酒(ささ) (shirosasa)

Kanji in this term
酒
しゅ Grade: 3
goon

From Middle Chinese 酒 (MC tsjuwX).

• (Tokyo) しゅ [shúꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɕɨ]

酒(しゅ) • (shu) ^{←しゆ (syu)?}

1. an alcoholic drink, especially sake (Japanese rice wine)

酒(しゅ) • (shu) 

1. alcoholic drink

• “酒”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[5] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

From Middle Chinese 酒 (MC tsjuwX).

Historical readings
Dongguk Jeongun reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448	쥬ᇢ〯 (Yale: cyǔw)
Middle Korean
Text	Eumhun
	Gloss (hun)	Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[6]	술 (Yale: swùl)	쥬〮 (Yale: cyú)

• (alcoholic beverage; etc.):
  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕu]
  • Phonetic hangul: [주]
• (in 주정 (酒酊, jujeong)):
  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕu(ː)]
  • Phonetic hangul: [주(ː)]
    • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

酒 (eumhun 술 주 (sul ju))

1. hanja form^? of 주 (“alcoholic beverage”) [affix]

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [7]

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• On (unclassified): す (su)
• Kun: さき (saki, 酒)

• 古(くー)酒(す) (kūsu)

Kanji in this term
酒
さき Grade: 3
kun'yomi

From Proto-Ryukyuan *sake, from Proto-Japonic *sakai. Cognate with mainland Japanese 酒 (sake).

• IPA^(key): [saki]^[1]

酒(さき) (saki) 

1. any alcoholic beverage (wine, whisky, sake, etc.)

• 大(うー)酒(じゃき) ('ūjaki)
• 大和(やまとぅ)酒(じゃき) (yamatujaki)

• 神酒 (mi₁wa)

From Proto-Japonic *sakai. Standalone form of saka- below.

Various theories exist regarding the ultimate derivation:

• Might be cognate with 榮𛀁 (sakaye), the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of verb 榮ゆ (sakayu, “to flourish”).
• Might be derived from 避く (saku, “to ward off, to shun”), from the idea that drinking sake would ward off cold diseases.
• The final -ke₂ may be the apophonic form of 酒 (ki₁).

酒 (sake₂) (kana さけ)

1. any alcoholic drink, especially a rice wine similar to modern-day sake

• 味酒 (umasake₂)
• 待ち酒 (matizake₂)

• Japanese: 酒 (sake)

Likely the original form of sake₂ above. Rarely used in isolation. Mostly used as the first element in compounds.

酒 (saka) (kana さか)

1. combining form of 酒 (sake₂, “any alcoholic beverage; rice wine, rice vodka, sake”)

• 酒水漬く (sakami₁duku)
• 酒坏, 酒杯 (sakaduki₁)
• 酒壺 (sakatubo)

酒 (ki₁) (kana き)

1. any alcoholic drink, especially a rice wine similar to modern-day sake

• 御酒 (mi₁-ki₂)
• 黒酒 (kuro₁ki₂)
• 白酒 (siro₁ki₂)
• 斎忌 (yuki₂)

• Japanese: 味酒 (umaki)
• Japanese: お神酒 (o-miki)

Cognate with 奇し (kusi, “strange, wondrous, miraculous”), which is also the root for modern 薬 (kusuri, “medicine”).^[1]

酒 (kusi) (kana くし)

1. any alcoholic drink, especially a rice wine similar to modern-day sake
   • 711–712, Kojiki, poem 32:
     ^[2]

     許能美岐波和賀美岐那良受久志能加美登許余邇伊麻須伊波多多須...

     ko₂no₂ mi₁-ki₁ wo waga mi₁-ki₁ narazu kusi no₂ kami₁ to₂ko₂yo₂ ni imasu ipa tatasu...

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

• 酒の司, 酒の長 (kusi no₂ kami₁)
• 笑酒, 咲酒 (wegusi)

• 𨢇 (rượu)^[1]

酒: Hán Việt readings: tửu (子(tử)酉(dậu)切(thiết))^{[2][3][1][4][5]}
酒: Nôm readings: rượu^[2][3][1][6], tửu^[3][4][7], giậu^[1]

1. chữ Hán form of tửu (“alcoholic beverage”)
2. chữ Nôm form of rượu (“rice alcohol”)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *sake, from Proto-Japonic *sakai. Cognate with Yaeyama 酒 (saki), Okinawan 酒 (saki), Japanese 酒 (sake).

• (Sonai) IPA^(key): [sàɡí] (tone class A)

酒(さぎ) (sagi) 

1. an alcoholic beverage, particularly sake (a Japanese rice wine)

   さぎたりるん

   sagi tarirun

   to produce sake

• Yonaguni Hōgen Jiten Henshū I'inkai (与那国方言辞典編集委員会) (2021), どぅなんむぬい辞典 [Dunanmunui Dictionary], Yonaguni (与那国町): Yonaguni-chō Kyōiku I'inkai (与那国町教育委員会), page 147